Career Choice Paralysis: Taking Action is Your Best Bet

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Jessie May Kezele, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

I find that many of my clients get stuck in decision paralysis about their career path. Just the other day, one of my clients said to me “I’m overwhelmed by how many options there are for my career and I’m scared I’ll make the wrong choice. If I make the wrong choice now, I will pay for it for the rest of my life—not only with countless hours of wasted education, but thousands of dollars of debt.”

The first problem with the above statement is that although there may be many options, there is not only one correct choice. We have to get rid of the idea that there is only one “right” path and all other paths will lead to failure. It’s just not true. We are women with an abundance of interests, talents and gifts and there are many ways for us to be successful.

The second problem with the statement above lies in the conclusion at the end: “If I make the wrong choice now, I will pay for it the rest of my life.” I beg to differ. The only choice you’ll be paying for the rest of your life is the choice to stay stuck in decision paralysis out of fear about what might happen once you commit. Making a choice and committing to action will open up doors along the way that you didn’t even imagine when you made your original decision. You will not pay for one “wrong” choice for the rest of your life because you always will have the opportunity to make new choices that will bring you closer to the life you envision. You are the creator of your life, not the victim of your circumstances.

Of course there are a bazillion strategies, tools and professionals out there to help you become clearer about which career path to choose, and I encourage you to use them! What I do not encourage is that you stay stuck and end up asking, “what the heck did I do with my life?” when you’re 70 years old. Make a choice and move forward!